DATE:     9/9/99 
WRITER:   Kathryn White, (864) 942-8590     
CONTACT:  Giles Singleton, (864) 656-3876 

Fall Is A Great Time for Gardening                       

     CLEMSON -- The kids are back in school, and football fever
is in the air. This can only mean one thing: fall is just around
the corner. This is a great time to get outdoors and get some
garden chores done.  
     Here are a few you might tackle during the month of
September: 
     *  If you grew a sun coleus this year, it is easy to root
and can be overwintered indoors in a brightly lit room. Why treat
this plant like an annual, when you can overwinter it and enjoy
it again? 
     *  If your fescue lawn looks a little worn after this hot,
dry summer, early September is the prime planting time for
seeding and rejuvenating a cool-season lawn. 
     Mark those herbaceous perennials like daylilies, ferns and
hosta before they die back. Place small flags or plant markers
beside them so you will know where not to step or dig in next
year's early spring garden. 
     If you are planning to plant, move or divide some herbaceous
perennials, now is a great time to get started. Planting or
dividing perennials in the fall allows plants time to establish 
strong root systems long before the heat of summer arrives. 
     Pecan weevils are at their peak through mid-September.
Liquid Sevin sprayed on the trunk and lower branches of the pecan
tree will help prevent weevil damage. Always be sure to read and
follow label directions. 
     Before the nights get too cool, it is a good idea to bring
in your house plants that have spent the summer outdoors. Now
would be a good time to repot any plants that have become root-bound.
Also, be sure to inspect the plants carefully for any
unwanted insect pests that might enjoy overwintering in your
home. 
     Broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips,
and onions can be planted now. 
     If you need something to brighten your fall landscape,
garden mums, ornamental cabbages and kales can be planted now for
seasonal color. 
     When you clean out the summer vegetable garden, don't throw
the corn stalks or bean hulls away. Instead, add them to the
compost pile. Composted plant debris will make a rich organic
snack for the garden next spring. 
     If you are planning to add some bulbs to the landscape,
choose the larger bulbs. Remember, for fall-planted, spring-flowering
bulbs the bigger the bulb is, the better blooms will
be. Also, avoid soft bulbs that have started to mold -- Kathyrn 
White, Greenwood County Extension agent. 
                  *************************** 
     If you have questions or comments on gardening- related
issues, write to PSA Media Relations, Box 340129, A-101 Poole
Agricultural Center, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 29634-0129.  
     You might also want to look for other "Buds and  Blooms"
columns under 1999 News Releases at: www.clemson.edu/agcomm .  
     Also check out Clemson Extension's new Home and Garden
Information Center (HGIC) at: http://hgic@clemson.edu  or 
1-888-656-9988. HGIC has information specialists on call from 
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday for information not 
covered by the recorded messages and fact sheets. 
                              END